Manga artist and writer Leiji Matsumoto, best known for titles like Captain Harlock, Express Galaxy 999 and Space Battleship Yamato, has died at 85.
Per The Japan Times, the artist passed away due to acute heart failure on Feb 13, 2023, in a Tokyo hospital. Born with the name Akira Matsumoto in 1938 in the Japanese city of Kurume, Matsumoto developed an early interest in science fiction and animation thanks to a 35mm film projector gifted to him by his father. The young artist became infatuated with the work of H.G. Wells and manga artist Unno Juza, and soon aspired to achieve a career as a manga artist. He entered a one-shot story contest and got his first manga title, Honey Bee’s Adventures, published in Manga Shonen magazine at the age of 15.
After graduating from high school, he moved to Tokyo to pursue his career, where he would meet and eventually marry Miyako Maki in 1961. Maki is a former manga artist and is widely considered one of the first female artists in the genre. Matsumoto, under the name Leiji, would get his big break with the manga Okoto Oidon, which was published in Weekly Shonen Magazine. It was a slice-of-life story about a young ronin attempting to survive in his small apartment with little money after failing his initial college entrance exams. The series was well received, even earning Matsumoto a Kodansha Publishing Award for Children’s Manga. From there, Matsumoto would develop his iconic science fiction style, writing a wide array of stories that blasted off into the stars including Space Battleship Yamato, Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999, Queen Emereldas, Arcadia of my Youth and more.
Matsumoto’s work frequently evoked a strong anti-war sentiment. The ideology was passed down to him by his father, an air fighter pilot who would often talk with his young son about the dangers and devastation of war. His creations are regularly cited as a massively influential pillar of the anime sci-fi genre, forming the blueprint for how to tell stories in the stars. He even had the chance to influence the west thanks to his collaboration with the musical duo Daft Punk. The pair commissioned Matsumoto to create music videos for a collection of their songs, including “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” “One More Time” and “Something About Us.” These videos were compiled into a feature-length animated movie named Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem.
A private funeral was held with his next of kin, including his previously mentioned wife and his daughter Makiko Matsumoto, who is the head of Studio Lejisha.
Source: Japan Times
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